


the truth about you.

by biqus



Category: Dr. STONE (Anime), Dr. STONE (Manga)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, not really lmao its super fluffy but gen opens up, senku is disaster gay u cant change my mind
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-01
Updated: 2019-09-01
Packaged: 2020-10-04 15:17:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20473169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/biqus/pseuds/biqus
Summary: I think it's time for you to know the awful truth, the truth about me, and the truth about you // They talk, and talk, and talk. Under the trees, under the stars, and under the damp ceiling of the lab.





	the truth about you.

It’s easy to like Gen. In any way, to be quite honest. He will tell you whatever you want to hear in order to not make himself enemies, but allies. He’s smart, and cunning, and a shallow, shallow man.

Senku isn’t sure if he likes that or not.

He definitely finds it fascinating; but in the same way you find a snake eating a mouse fascinating: you can’t take your eyes away, but you wouldn’t wish to be that mouse. He realizes he sometimes becomes Gen’s prey, and, again, doesn’t know how to feel.

There are things Senku likes about Gen though, and those, surprisingly, or not really, are a lot.

He likes when Gen asks him to have more cola, or if he’ll have the time to make more soon. He likes how Gen looks softer when looking at Suika, or when she braids his hair. When Gen talks to Kaseki, that weird but sweet old man, and Gen laughs and laughs at the man’s antics. He likes the bickering, the bantering, the back and fort that stopped having any bite to it long ago, and sometimes leaves Gen giggling, and Senku with a warm feeling in his chest. He treasures those moments ten billion times more.

But that's absolutely besides the point (he could talk about Gen all day if he could)- right now Senku has a more pressing matter than thinking about the mentalists’ smiling face: and that’s finding the answer to the question that has been eating him up all day.

He just happened to listen in by accident, he didn’t mean to eavesdrop.

Gen and Kohaku had been together the whole day, helping Kaseki bring and take logs and stone from one point of the village to the other. When Senku had gone to check on them and ask them when they would be done, that it’s late and they should be each going to their huts, the sound of Gen’s voice kept him from doing so.

“-and, I don’t know, it just sort of happened! Suddenly there I was, interrogating this guy who’s almost pissing his pants, and I- I didn’t know what to do!” Gen is carrying a small piece of wood, while Kohaku carries about five, of much bigger sizes. Senku just hides himself by crouching in front of some bushes, and, while Kohaku notices him, Gen doesn’t. For some weird reason, the blonde doesn’t call him out on his weird behavior, which he appreciates. He’s weirdly interested in whatever Gen is talking about.

“That’s th’ worst? I do that on a daily basis.”

Gen huffs, annoyed, and stops walking to look at Kohaku. “My manager hadn’t told me I would be doing stuff like that.” He pouts, and Senku can only guess it’s half serious, half playful. “I didn’t sign up as a mentalist to do illegal work like that.”

Kohaku just raises an eyebrow, amused. “You didn’t?” Gen has the audacity to look offended, and maybe he is a little.

“Kohaku-chan! Shady work at best! Not to- to torture people!” He storms off, bare feet making a soft sound against the dirt.

Senku is about to get off his hiding place, already forgetting what he was here for, but Kohaku hasn’t left yet- ah, there she is, staring right at him.

“I don’t think he’ll appreciate you creeping on him like a fuckin’g weirdo.” She remarks, smirking as if she knows best. She probably does, in this issue at least.

To save some of his dignity, he just sticks his tongue out, jabbing a finger into his ear, like the mature young man he is. “Shut it, lioness. Why don’t you go catch up to Gen, he’s probably wondering where you are.”

“Stop calling me a lioness! Ugh, just go talk to him, he’s pr’bably sulking. It’s late anyway, so we were about to finish off here.” That’s the last thing she says before running off, and Senku can only see the dust she left behind when he hears Gen’s screech of “monster!” and a loud laugh, already speeding off.

Senku just starts following their path, mind racing with something Gen had said.

_“I didn’t sign up as a mentalist to do illegal work like that.” I wonder what he meant by that. He’s way too young, only nineteen in the old world, so why the hell would he take that weird job?_

Curiosity was his main driving force, and right now it was at it’s peak. Mixing his already weird maybe-romantic-interest on Gen and his biggest strength and weakness wasn’t a good idea.

He had to ask Gen tonight or he would die trying.

When he starts to see a soft lilac back, he knows he’s reached his destination.

“Hey.” is all he says as he gets right next to Gen, matching his steps.

“Senku-chan!” Gen smiles, the log he’s holding bumping as he jumps a little. “I thought you were at the lab! I was with Kohaku-chan just now, but I left her after she was mean to me. And then the absolute beast comes running right next to me!”

“Huh, is that so?”

“Yeah! And I was so far ahead! Can you believe that?” He pouts, and kicks a rock, bare feet and all. Senku still wonders how the does that.

“Being her, yeah, I can believe that.”

“Well, yeah, but still. I wouldn’t know what to do with that inhuman strength.”

Senku hums at that. “You’d be part of the Power Team.” Gen scoffs, as if that was the worst case scenario.

“Never! I prefer to make, as you like to say, ten billion of those tewwible shitty bateries you had me make once!” He attempts to cross his arms, but the wood gets in the way. It looks kind of awkward, but Gen seems to be happy enough to put on a show. “I pride myself in my intelligence, I don’t wanna be a dumb mass of muscle!”

“Oh, so you have to choose between brains and brawn? Why not both?”

Gen actually looks thoughtful at the question, and stays quiet for a bit, the only sound coming from their steps. It’s peaceful, and Senku is enjoying himself quite a lot. The stars starting to wake, the dim lights from the village becoming closer and closer, the soft sound of crickets. Just them, their banter, and Gen’s pretty eyes looking ahead.

He notices he had been staring when Gen’s voice breaks him from his concentration; “Only really lucky people have both, Senku-chan. And I don’t think there’s a universe where I’m so lucky I get both.”

_Maybe not strength and intelligence, but you sure did get beauty and charm._

“According to the multiverse theory-”

“Oh! I know that one!” Gen interrupts, but Senku can’t bring himself to mind.

“You do get both. Somewhere, in some other world, you’re both a mass of muscle and a mentalist. Incredible, huh?”

Gen seems to entertain the though for a minute, humming, as they approach the village. The sun has almost set completely, and everyone is busy with dinner and lighting up torches. He’s gonna power the whole village with electricity as soon as he can.

Gen leaves the piece of wood he’s been carrying for a while now on the ground, next to a pile of bigger logs he assumes Kohaku brought. He doesn’t get up from his crouched position, and Senku is about to question if he got a splinter when Gen’s voice stops him, again.

“Do I get to meet you in all of those worlds?”

Senku is taken aback. A completely unexpected question.

“In some, yeah, in others, no. That’s- that’s why they’re infinite possibilities.”

Gen stands up, but doesn’t look at him. “I’m glad to be a weakling in this one then.”

_What the hell? I am not mentally equipped to answer to something like that._

He stays dumbfounded for a few seconds, color rushing to his face. He hopes he’s not making a weird face, because Gen is now looking at him with both fondness and curiosity. Something starts to prickle at Senku, but he can’t, to save his life, recognize what it is.

“Well! Since I’m done, Senku-chan, I think I’m gonna go rest to my hut. It is pretty late, don’t you think?” He bows his head a bit, something Senku has noticed Gen does when he’s saying goodbye to someone. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.” He starts to turn away, and Senku remembers what’s been eating him alive this whole afternoon.

He grabs Gen’s wrist, without meaning to but on purpose too.

“Why did you decide to become a mentalist?” He blurts out, without finesse or any kind of care of the ‘mood’, as his friend likes to say.

Gen just looks at him; wide eyes, mouth slightly ajar. Senku wants to kiss him. He softens his grip, but doesn’t let go.

He _did_ say he’d die trying.

“Senku-chan, why- why do you wanna know?” Gen asks, sleeve going up to cover his mouth. The one the scientist is not holding, at least.

He shrugs and speaks with all the honesty he can muster, a small smile on his lips. “I’m just curious.”

Gen lowers his hand, uncovering mouth, not seeing a trace of lies in his answer. “Everyone is staring.” He giggles, and he sounds kind of like a maiden being confessed to. He likes the sound.

He looks around a bit, and, yeah, half of the village is staring at them. He just hopes Kohaku is far enough not to see him act like a fool. “Let’s go to your laboratory, hm? Ah, you did mention you needed more batteries, right right!” His tone becomes hollow in a tune that Senku immediately recognizes as lying. Especially because he did not mention more of those batteries Gen hated. “Anyone who wants to join and help, just come around the chief’s lab, you will all be welcome!”

Gen breaks free from his hold and gets his hand now, dragging him to the lab. He thinks he gets why the mentalist lied, but he wants to make sure. You always need to make sure with Gen.

“So you’re gonna help me make more batteries?” He asks, mostly just to torment him.

“Ugh, you wish! Senku-chan, you won’t see me near those tewwible, tewwible things ever again!” Gen huffs out, puffed cheeks in annoyance. “But I know everybody is scared of working for you, they don’t want to die young, Senku-chan.”

“Oh? So you discouraged them from coming near the lab and eavesdrop?”

“Exactly! I don’t blame them though. It is human’s nature to be...” He goes quiet for a few seconds, as if deciding which word to use. “ -curious. Don’t you think so, Senku-chan?”

“Hah? Give me a break, mentalist, are you trying to tease me?” He feels a bit embarrassed, but can’t complain much since Gen hasn’t let go of his hand.

“I would never, _scientist_. I am a honest man, truthful to the bone!” His other hand goes to his chest in a display of flamboyancy, and Senku truly thinks it’s funny.

They’re approaching the lab, and he still wonders why Gen would want them to be alone to answer such a simple question. Maybe the answer wasn’t as easy as he thought it would be.

_That’s fine too. I don’t exactly like him for being easy._

Gen enters the lab fast, and drops Senku’s hand as easily as he grabbed it; he wishes he wasn’t as disappointed as he is. They both sit in front of the slab of stone they like to call a table, right next to eachother. Senku likes the proximity, but wishes they could be closer. He’s gonna have to compromise.

“So.” He starts, not being sure of how to approach the situation.

“So...” Gen replicates, looking also lightly uncomfortable. “You want to know why I became a mentalist?”

“Yeah, basically.” He leans against the wall, arms behind his head. “Like I said, I’m just curious.”

“Mmm...” The mentalist hums, tapping a finger to his lips, not sure where to start.

“Mom was- is. She is a news reporter, and my dad worked- works! Uh, works as an accountant in the same company.” It’s weird, Gen never fumbles with his words, but now it seems he does. He talks like he thinks his parents are dead, the whole past tense thing. It doesn’t feel a past tense because none of those things matter now; It’s as if he has to remind himself that they will be revived, that he will see them again. Senku isn’t that lucky, but he supposes every blessing comes with its curse, and Gen can’t silver tongue his way out of it. So Gen just keeps talking.

“That’s how they got my first show, and things just escalated from there. Magazines, books, TV specials, merchandising! And I was only sixteen! It was fun.” Gen blinks, once, twice, and then looks away from Senku, as if he just realized something he feels embarrassed about. “But lonely. I wasn’t going to school much, so I got disconnected from the few friends who would put up with me. I never really finished school, now that I think about it.” He shrugs.

“Your parents... let you do that?” he can’t help but ask. “Who the hell doesn’t let their child not finish high school?”

“My parents... Uh. They never payed much attention to me. Work, work, work, work. So yeah.” Gen rests his head against the cool stone, and closes his eyes briefly. “Before all the glamour, sometimes I’d just... pretend to be sick. So mom would stay at home and look after me.” Senku notices how Gen’s different now. Something shifts, and the whole conversation feels more heavy than it was before. He doesn’t know how he feels about that.

He doesn’t know how to feel about a lot of things lately. The whole uncommon phenomenon is only related to Gen Asagiri,

“Then getting sick stopped working, and I got famous, so- ta-da!” The mentalist makes some jazz hands, but there’s no feeling to it. “I hadn’t talked to my parents in months, but hey! Money!” He’s making a weird, dejected expression, and Senku decides he doesn’t like this side of his friend. Not one bit.

“So they were shitty parents.” He blurts out, before he can think of literally anything better to say.

_Good fucking job. Yuzuriha would, with ten billion certainty, throttle you._

Surprisingly, or not really, Gen only laughs quietly and plays with his sleeves, looking down at them. “I guess. I never doubted their love, I just...” another small silence.

“You weren’t their first priority.” Senku tries to complete the sentence. If Gen trailed off like that, it must have been a hard thing to put into words, even more so to actually say it.

And Gen looks at him, soft in a way he hasn’t seen before, as if grateful he’s not the one to have to say it. “Yeah.”

Another small silence, this one much more comfortable.

“Ah, but that doesn’t answer your question, does it?” The scientist blinks. He got so into Gen’s basically monologue that he hadn’t realized he never really answered the original question. How... uncharacteristic of him.

“Huh. You’re right.”

“Oh! I’m right? The great Senku-sama is acknowledging me?” Senku just snorts at that, seeing through Gen’s effort to lighten up the conversation.

“As if, Asagiri.” He looks at his friend dead on. “Come on, spill it.”

“Ha! Aren’t you eager to know about my dark and troubled past.” The mentalist shoots back.

“I’m trembling from the excitement, you don’t even know.” He says, deadpan. And as if to make a point, embraces himself and fake shivers; it works, since it takes a snort out of Gen.

“I don’t know” the mentalist mumbles, something unusual in his speech. “I guess I was always able to sway people. Everybody would just... listen to me.”

“With your pretty boy face, I doubt anyone wouldn’t.” He tries to sound confident, to actually flirt so his friend can leave behind the melancholy that suddenly took a hold of him.

Gen’s cheeks get redder, and he actually looks bashful. It’s a good look on him.

“I didn’t have you as a player, Senku-chan!” He says, barely being able to creak out an answer from the embarrassment. Senku’s cheeks also feel kind of hot, but he tries to ignore it.

“Because I’m not, mentalist. Just stating the truth.” If he’s sweating, he hopes Gen doesn’t notice. “Continue, oh so great narrator.”

“Oh, you.” He’s smiling now, a little bit warm and a little bit mischievous. He looks cute. “I wasn’t... good at anything else, I guess.”

“That can’t be true.” Senku tries to reason, because that’s, mathematically, impossible.

“Okay, you got me! I’m _average_ at everything else. The only thing I did, I do, really good is- to catch people’s attention. To put on a show.”

He opens his mouth, he wants to protest.

_You’re hardworking, even if you complain. You have delicate hands that are good for small tasks. You can retain as much information as me, just in different areas. You could have been a fucking model if you wanted, with that kisseable face, you stubborn-_

But Gen keeps talking.

“I’d always have the best Yu-Gi-Oh cards, and always won. I’d convince my friends that my shitty cards had secret abilities, trade them, and- boom! Rapsodia completed. Or- oh, was it Exodia?”

“Yeah, Exodia.” Senku would never forget something as important as that, he never got the left arm card and that’s something that still burns his conscience. He lets out a breath; if Gen wanted to change the subject, he would. They could have that talk another day. “That kind of kid huh?” He snorts, and rests his head on his crossed arms, against the cool stone of the table, closing his eyes. “A true bastard.”

“Excuse me!” Gen exclaims, and his tone is serious enough that Senku bothers to open one of his eyes to look at him in curiosity. “My parents, divorced as they now may be, where un-happily married!” The scientist wonders where Gen is going with this. “I, your sweet sweet ally, am no bastard! I am the true, only, and legal heir to my family’s oh-not-so-big fortune.”

There’s a small silence.

Oh, there it is. He just wanted to make a literal joke. And it was honestly funny. Gen’s eyes crinkle in that way that slips the facade he always puts on, his lower lip is trembling and suddenly he’s biting it; his eyebrows lift and his shoulders raise. Senku will think about these little gestures later, when he’s alone in his bed and restless. But right now Asagiri Gen is a mirror of his own actions; two teenagers stuck in time trying to contain their laughter in an effort to not wake up the entire village.

It’s sadly in vain, as Gen lets out a giggle, and suddenly both of them are in hysterics.

“You’re so dumb! You did all that theatrics just to make a joke!”

“Well, excuse me Senku-chan, but it seems it was worth it as now you can’t stop laughing!”

“I’m only laughing because it was clever!”

They’re both laughing, snorting and wheezing. Gen’s gums are showing, a row of pearly white teeth under them. His face is all scrunched up, his hands are tight around his sleeves and he’s kind of crouched over. And Senku thinks that Gen has never looked more beautiful.

“Hey.” He can’t let this go. He doesn’t know when he’ll have the courage again.

“Yeah?” Gen is wiping a tear, still smiling, still radiant. His conviction wavers for a bit, and he stays silent for exactly thirty six long, long seconds.

He sighs, while his knuckles turn white from the pressure he’s inflicting in them. Nothing, in his whole life, prepared him for this. Rocket science feels like kid’s play next to this. Gen’s still flushed curious face doesn’t help.

“I love you.”

He closes his eyes, and braces himself for impact. One, two, three... and the back of a soft hand slowly caresses his cheek.

“Mhm... I know.” It’s all the response he gets.

Senku can’t help but sputter.

_I know’? What was that supposed to mean?_

“You ass! You knew!” He straightens himself and gets closer to Gen, anger and embarrassment slowly flooding his veins. “Why didn’t you say anything?!” He’s raising his voice, ignoring the efforts of trying not to wake the whole village up from before. Senku’s face feels like it’s boiling from how hot it feels.

Gen’s face is undecipherable, and he hates it. He feels humiliated, something he hasn’t felt in years. Things were good, and now everything is going downhill. He feels so stupid, so dumb. He hates it, he hates it, he hates it, so he closes his eyes.

But then there’s Gen’s hand, which hasn’t moved from his spot at his cheek. A reminder that Gen hasn’t truly answered to his confession, only saying that he knew.

Breath in, breath out. Gen is taking his sweet time.

“I’m a mentalist, Senku-chan, have you forgotten?” There’s a bit of a jab there, but it’s tender, like he doesn’t really mean it. “Mmm... Maybe saying I knew is a bit of an exaggeration. You’re the one who knows things for sure, my dear scientist. I can only hypothesize, as the human mind is unexpected and always a riddle.” For some reason, Senku only relaxes at Gen’s thoughtful but calm tone, and leans into his hand.

“What would I have done if I was wrong?” Another hand, this one goes straight to his jaw. A thumb moves slowly around it, as if testing the waters. Senku wishes he would just dive in.

“I- I don’t know, not make me look like a fool maybe.”

“I don’t think there’s a single second of your life where you look like a fool, Senku-chan.”

He ended up being the prey, the mouse, at the mercy of Gen’s shiny fangs. He didn’t expect an outcome like this.

“Would you look at me, Senku?”

He can’t deny anything to Gen, so he opens his eyes, and the sight of Gen’s red smiling face leaves him defenseless; something he hasn’t been in years.

“Kiss me.” He breathes out, almost, almost sure of Gen’s answer.

“Well, Senku-chan, aren’t you eager!” Gen laughs, but it’s bubbly, airy and sounds happy. The hands on his face grab him and pull him forward.

And Gen kisses him.

It feels weird, but a nice kind of weird. He feels like how explosions look, how breathing is, how water moves. At once, all kinds of comparisons pop up in his head, and at the same time, his head is blank.

It feel an eternity and two seconds all at once, and he can’t believe he isn’t sure how much time they’ve been kissing, especially since he literally counted every second of three thousand years. Gen does that to him. They separate, but stay close, millimeters from kissing eachother again.

“Gross.” He says, smiling, lidded eyes, his face at what must be its melting point.

Gen had looked the same, oh such heavenly gaze, until Senku surprised him with his bad manners, and just burst laughing.

“Oh, Senku-chan! What will my fans say!”

**Author's Note:**

> uhhhh i havent written fics in four years maybe? but . idk have this  
i love them very very much theyre so dear to me... hit me up on my tumblr @biqui  
also follow my sengen pal @mechasenku he makes AMAZING sengen fics and art pwease follow him 
> 
> both title and part of the summary are from the song touch tone telephone by lemon demon


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